Forgotten
by GoWashTheLights
Summary: MAJOR spoilers to season one. Miles comes to town to visit his nephew for his birthday. Oneshot.


Author Note: *Sigh* Darn mid-season hiatus. What are we going to do for a month-and-a-half?! Write fanfiction, that's what :) I wanted to try my hand on focusing on Danny a little more, because in the scheme of things, we really saw so little of his story, his character, and his relationships with other people. I also needed to get away from my obsession with Miles/Charlie for a while.

DISCLAIMER: I don't own Revolution, it's characters, etc.

* * *

Miles pulled into the driveway around ten o' clock at night, glad to finally be there. The light from the living room was on, telling him that Ben was waiting. He got out of the car, stretched gratefully, then pulled the grocery bag from the passenger seat. He wasn't one for wrapping gifts well, so

he figured the kids wouldn't mind it. He knocked on the door, and didn't have to wait long before it opened. To his surprise, Rachel answered. She returned the emotion, giving a pleasant smile.

"Miles, how are you?"

"I...take it Ben didn't tell you I was coming?"

On cue, the culprit appeared behind his wife, with a glint in his eye. "Hey, there you are! About time, huh?"

Rachel turned, still confused. "Not that I'm not happy, but..." Her expression left the question in the air. Miles laughed.

"We thought we'd surprise Danny for his birthday." He explained. "I guess we surprised you, too."

Rachel smiled, waving him in. "I guess so! Come on, I'll get the guest room ready. The kids are asleep, but they'll be happy to see you in the morning."

Ben and Miles headed into the kitchen, where the brothers shared a drink or two. Ben wasn't a big drinker, but whenever Miles came calling - which wasn't often - he made an exception. Rachel joined them a few minutes later, giving a critical eye as she sat. "So," she started, "how was the

drive?"

"Oh, boring as ever. The radio's broken in my car, so I about went crazy."

Ben finished his drink. "I'll look at it in the morning. We're having dinner for just us tomorrow, and then Danny's friends are coming the next day."

Miles grinned, raising his glass. "To Danny's friends. I'll have nothing to do with _that _party, and I'll be long gone." Ben laughed, nodding.

Rachel however, only frowned. "You came all this way just to stay one evening?"

"Uh, yeah," said Miles. "Two kids full of sugar is one thing. More than that? No way, Rachel."

She shrugged. "Hide upstairs, turn in early. We'll keep them down here, of course."

Miles considered it, as did Ben. The two hadn't planned that far ahead, obviously, but they were glad to have someone with common sense in their lives. Miles figured he could also wander outside until it was over. "Sure, why not?" He finally said. Rachel smiled, satisfied. She was glad to have

her brother-in-law around longer; he was good to the kids, and they missed him, too. Conversation turned to talk about Charlie - six - and Danny - turning four tomorrow. Danny was excited to start school next year, and his sister was heading into the first grade. She was reserved and

observant, smart and seemed to take her role as older sister seriously. Danny was still sick a lot, and often spent time with her or their mother.

"It seems that whenever he's on the mend, he'll turn around and be in bed for three or four days." Rachel mused. She ran a thumb over the glass of water she'd poured herself. "We worry about him."

Miles didn't know what to say. His nephew couldn't be outside to play sports or even run around for long periods of time, because it aggravated his condition. "He could do some physical therapy, couldn't he?"

Rachel and Ben shared a strangely solemn look, one that passed before Miles could really catch it. "Well," Rachel started, "Ben and I were thinking - " She stopped suddenly when the stairs creaked. The three of them turned to find Charlie, who looked a little stressed.

Ben stood up and walked over to her. "Honey, what's wrong?"

"Danny can't breathe," she replied, her expression turning fearful. "He's starting to cry."

Rachel was up, giving Miles a here-we-go look, and hurried into the kitchen. Ben crouched down next to his daughter, kissing her cheek. "Mommy and I will take care of him. Look, Uncle Miles is here; why don't you sit with him for a while?"

Charlie nodded, hurrying over to Miles. He scooped her up, holding her carefully in his arms. "Hey, kiddo, it's okay. Danny will be just fine." He watched Ben and Rachel disappear upstairs, and felt Charlie nod.

"I know," she mumbled, sniffling. "He's okay."

"Yeah. Don't cry, Charlie. You don't have to cry."

"...I know," she replied, but without much conviction. Miles admired her for trying. She would have a lot of responsibility over her brother one day, because she was the older one - his protector. Miles hummed quietly to pass the time, until he remembered the gifts he'd brought.

"Hey," he whispered. She looked up at him questioningly, and he smiled. "You see that bag, there?" He nodded to it, and Charlie turned around. "Hand it to me?" She did so, the curiosity evident on her face. He smiled at her again when he had the bag, and fished around. Then he pulled

out her present and handed it to her. "It's all yours, kid."

A small smile of her own crept onto her face, and she opened it. It was a simple necklace with a silver heart, one he'd picked out at the kiosk at the base. He always figured that he was good at finding gifts for the women in his life, and his niece wasn't an exception. Her face brightened and

she looked up at him. Then she wrapped her little arms around him and whispered, "Thank you." Miles had to admit, his heart may have melted a little. Charlie had calmed down enough by the time her parents came back down.

"Crisis averted," announced Ben. He looked down at Charlie and smiled. "Thank you, sweetie, for telling us. Danny's all right now; he's sleeping, so you should go on, get to bed."

The next morning, Miles visited Danny in his bedroom. Charlie was at school, Ben at work, and Rachel needed to go shopping for the day. That left Miles in charge, but he didn't mind, since it was his nephew. Danny looked a little ill, but happy to see Miles. He was even happier to get his

birthday present - a movie that Ben had kindly suggested.

"I wanted this!" Danny exclaimed. "Thanks, Uncle Miles."

Miles tousled Danny's already messy hair. "You're welcome, little man. So, your Mom said you have to stay in bed today, so I'm here to take care of you. What do you want to do?"

Danny thought a moment. "Read me a story?" He asked politely. Miles had been hoping he would want to watch that movie - so Miles had to do less - but he just couldn't turn down that face. So, he let Danny pick out a book. One story turned into another, then another, and soon he was

repeating one in particular. Finally Rachel arrived to save him. She found him quite entertaining, him being slightly over-sized in Danny's bed. Miles got up, promising to come back after helping Rachel with the groceries.

"So," said Rachel, once downstairs again, "did Hero Cat save the day?"

Miles rolled his eyes. "Only about one hundred times. I never saw it coming, each time..."

Rachel laughed, a bright sound. "Thanks for looking after him. He misses you when you're away."

Miles paused, with a can of corn still in his hand. "Really? Me?"

"Oh, he talks about you for days when you leave. Charlie's getting older, so she...understands a bit more, but Danny misses you."

He couldn't understand. Really, he hardly knew the kid, since he was away so much, and he hadn't thought that he'd made such an impact. "I didn't know." He admitted. "I'll...try to be better. I guess I could call more, or something."

Dinner that night was fantastic, the best Miles had eaten in a while. Danny insisted that he sit next to Miles, and Charlie found her place on the other side. Afterward, Danny even got to sit in Miles' lap as the cake was brought out. Blowing out the candles was a challenge, but even with tired,

little lungs Danny managed to come out the victor. The evening was pretty perfect, and not just for the four-year-old. Miles ended up staying for a week. He skipped the second party, but being able to spend time with the kids did him well. He took Charlie out for a ride one day, in a

particularly good mood. He ended up making her laugh a lot, and he was happy to have the time spent with her, too. In the end, he hardly passed the time with his brother or his wife, but they didn't seem to mind. When the end of the week came around, all of them saw him off at the front

door. Danny and Charlie hugged him tightly, insisting that he could stay if he wanted.

He laughed. "I'll be back before you know it. I'll call you guys in a week, got it?"

"Okay," they chimed. He hugged them one last time, then waved goodbye as he got into his car. As he drove away, he was so content that he didn't even realize his radio was still broken.

* * *

"Miles?"

He looked up. It was Charlie, giving him that look again. She'd been doing it all day, and he'd done a pretty good job at pretending not to notice. Now, it was quiet, the sun long gone, and no one was happy. Charlie sat next to him looking for something to say. She kept opening and closing

her mouth, but she feared she would cry.

Miles sighed, holding the old, folded-up note hidden in his hand - he'd forgotten he even had it. Of course, today of all days, he'd found it in an inside jacket pocket. A part of him wanted to open it, to remember, but other part wished he'd buried it with Danny. His nephew, the one he'd gone on

this disaster trip for, was dead.

_"My Mom is dead. My Dad...is dead."_

Some of Charlie's first words to him. Why had she asked him to do it? Why had he let her bribe him into going? Because they were _family?_ That was all it took, and he'd fallen for it. He looked at his niece at last, and his heart seized. She was looking back, with tears falling down her face.

"It wasn't in vain," she whispered. She moved closer and wrapped her arms around his waist. Miles didn't want to see _or _hear her cry, but she wasn't going to give him a choice. Once again, she needed him there.

"Charlie, I wish..." Miles' voice was heavy, so he cleared his throat. "...I wish I could change it. I wish I was...smarter."

"It's not your fault," she sniffled. "Don't ever blame yourself. It w-wasn't anyone's fault..."

Hearing that only made it worse. Miles tried to be stronger than his emotions, but he just...couldn't. Not this time. A few tears gathered in his eyes, and he took a couple of deep breaths. He stayed silent after that, holding onto Charlie just as tightly as she held onto him. He let the guilt eat

at him until he had nothing - something he was good at. He could pretend not to care so much, because someone else was doing it for him.

Charlie finally calmed down a few minutes later. She stood, wiped at her eyes and face, and looked at him. "Thank you, Miles. Thank you for coming, and helping me get him back." She smiled a little. "The time that I could see him and talk to him again was enough. I...wouldn't have made it

without you."

Her Uncle only nodded solemnly. He watched her walk away, then he heaved a deep sigh. He hesitated a few moments longer before finally unfolding the letter. He wasn't surprised to find it worn out, but the message still carried on, all these years:

_"Uncle Miles,_

_Thank you for the present._

_Thank you for coming to see me._

_Thank you for taking care of me because I was sick._

_I love you,_

_Danny"_

He'd gotten it not longer after going back to the base. Rachel had written it for Danny, in crayon and exactly-worded from the mouth of a four-year-old. Miles remembered the happiness he'd felt once, and now, Charlie's words didn't seem so ridiculous. He'd been able to see his nephew one

last time, just for a short while. He hadn't made the mistake in going, but he wished he could have had more time. Miles felt a heavy silence now, one that told him he was truly alone. He finally let the tears fall, and waited for peace to come.


End file.
